Park and Trail Partnership Grants Fund 27 Projects

Friends groups are always looking to improve the parks, historic sites and public lands they steward. The Park and Trail Partnership grants, administered by Parks & Trails New York in partnership with State Parks, help these mostly volunteer groups be even better stewards. This year, 27 Friends groups will receive $900,000 in awards—matched by $253,000 in private funding—for projects to better their sites and make them more accessible and enjoyable for visitors.

From renovating important historic structures to building ADA-compliant pathways, this seventh round of Park and Trail Partnership grants includes a slew of diverse and inspiring projects. Check them out here.

PTNY staff will be on the road this summer to acknowledge awardees through a series of "Big Check” events throughout the state. These events will give the recipients an opportunity to showcase their sites and organizations to legislators, town officials, community members and the media.

What's next?

The past seven rounds of the Park and Trail Partnership grants were so successful that funding for the program was doubled in the state budget to $2 million. This means an increase in maximum award amounts to fund larger capital and organizational capacity projects. A dedicated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion component will encourage projects, event planning, and partnerships with other community organizations to increase accessibility for all to these special places.

We encourage groups to take some time in the upcoming summer weeks to consider projects for the upcoming round of Park and Trail Partnership grants, to launch in mid-September. PTNY will be hosting a general informational/Q&A session during the summer in addition to the in-depth application webinars held once the process is open—keep in touch with us for the dates. In the meantime, start planning and THINK BIG!